Wakenaam Boxing Gym shine as Gairy St Clair Inter-Gym Boxing Tourney concludes

May 29, 2017 Sports

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They are the most recent addition to the local (amateur) boxing family, but boxers out of the recently inaugurated Wakenaam Boxing Gym (WBG) gave a good account of themselves and came out victorious when the Forgotten Youth Foundation staged the inaugural edition of the Gairy St Clair Inter-Gym Boxing Tournament at the Forgotten Youth Foundation Boxing Gym, James and Belair Streets, Albouystown on Saturday evening.

The WBG contingent consisted of Terrence Softleigh, Cleyon Retemiah, Travel Evans and Rondelle Grandson and though they are still to perfect the fundamentals of the sport, the quartet displayed guts and determination to win their respective bouts with the exception of Evans who surrendered his bout to Moses Crawford (FYF). Softleigh defeated Latherall Richards (FYF), while Retemiah and Grandson prevailed over Milo Jaqwan (FYF) and Mark Crawford (FYF), respectively.
The Grandson/Crawford bout was a gem and the former boxer started the fight aggressively, landing unorthodox blows to his opponent’s head and body. A rangy fellow, Grandson backed his man up to the ropes and unleashed several salvoes that forced the referee to institute the mandatory 8 count. Crawford managed to stitch in a few punches but Grandson remained unperturbed and upped the ante in the final stanza. He unleashed a wicked one two combination that pushed Crawford into one of the neutral corners where the onslaught forced the referee to once again toll away the mandatory 8 count. Fortune was on Crawford’s side as the bell sounded simultaneously with the count and offered a welcome reprieve.
Richards started at a furious pace and pushed Softleigh back with head and body shots. Softleigh, obviously new to the ring experience, managed to assert himself and delivered a few unorthodox blows but was tagged once again with a roundhouse right that elicited a count from the ‘third man.’  Softleigh called on inner reserves and came out slugging in the third stanza. After an especially wicked right the referee counted Richards with the bell sounding a mere second after the count. The judges ruled that Softleigh had done enough to win by unanimous decision.
The bout between Malachi Jones (FYF) and his gym mate, Wayne Costello gave the hope that the nursery is indeed receiving adequate attention. Both boxers are pintsize and appeared incapable of inflicting serious damage but all that changed upon the bell. Jones attacked from the onset and before the halfway mark caused the referee to institute the mandatory 8 count. He resumed the attack upon resumption but received a surprise when, instead of backing off, Costello met him head on with several salvoes. Once again the referee was called into duty and this time it was Jones who was counted. Sensing that the fight was very close, both boxers attempted to steal the initiative and engaged in delightful exchanges that only ended when the bell sounded. It was really a pity that one had to lose and in the end Jones did enough to impress the judges.
Martin Mugabe (FYF) started the night’s proceedings on a positive note when he pounded out a split decision win over his gym mate, Michael Beckles, while Patrick Harvey (FYF) defeated his gym mate, Ome Keiler.
Richard Howard (FYF) fought valiantly but failed to get past Jakey Codogan in a fight that was action packed right down to the wire. Travis Invervary (FYF) then defeated Kamil Yahya (HE) in a closely fought affair.

In other results, Isaiah Moore (FYF) proved too good for Omar Pollard (PRBG), Brian Harris (FYF) forced the referee to halt his bout against Andrew Modeste (HE) in the first round, while Shamar Morrison (FYF) won by a second round TKO over Kimani Yahya (HE).
Shaqueel Damond (FYF) won by TKO in the third round against Angle Anays (YA), Jamal Eastman (RHJ) proved too good for Junior Henry and won on points, while Keevin Allicock prevailed on points over Julius Kesney.
Isaiah Moore was adjudged best boxer in the junior category, while schoolboy, Travis Invervary won a similar accolade in his category. He was also adjudged the Most Discipline Boxer, while Omar Pollard was voted Most Improved Boxer. The FYF Gym won the best gym trophy, while newcomers, Wakenaam, won the trophy for the runners up gym. In a sportsmanlike gesture, the organizer presented a trophy to each participating gym.
Meanwhile, President of the Guyana Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, conferred his blessings on the night’s proceedings and in opening remarks praised Coach Sebert Blake for organizing the event. “Let me offer congratulations to Mr. Blake for organizing this tournament since I realize that it will supplement the calendar of activities of the GBA,” said Mr. Ninvalle. He noted that the longest journey begins with the first step and lauded Blake for taking that step.
Director of Sports, Christopher Jones also praised the initiative and assured the organizers that they could count on government input for initiatives that focus on youth development. He wished the combatants well while urging them to compete within the framework of the rules.

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